Certainly, drug abuse is somehow linked to crime in the country. Experts warned that certain drugs can change the structure and inner workings of the brain. With repeated use, they affect a person’s self-control and interfere with the ability to resist the urge to take the drug. Not being able to stop taking a drug even though you know it is harmful is the hallmark of addiction.
Thus, drug abuse is a serious problem around the globe and The Gambia is not an exception. The number of youth getting involved in illicit substances is a cause of concern.
It is quite worrying that the most energetic segment of our country is prone to drug abuse making them useless and a burden to the country. Youth are the future of any nation. So we have to teach them the right way to contribute meaningfully to national development.
In the local press this week, the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEAG) made a number of arrests involving foreigners trying to smuggle this illicit substance into the country through the country’s two main border posts- Amdalai and Giboroh.
This indeed calls for urgent action to curb the menace. It is true that illicit substance abuse is associated with a surge in crimes as seen in the country in the recent past.
And most often, these youth under the influence of drugs engage in acts that even in their normal state of mind wouldn’t dare to venture into.
As a nation, we owe a great debt to the youth by nurturing and training them to be useful citizens rather than being a burden.
Also, parents have a great role to play in the upbringing of their children. Coaching them to be agents of change would make our society not only safer but peaceful.
As the kush menace continues to wreak havoc in the country, let’s not forget other drugs circulating in the market, like pills of ecstasy, which is another illicit substance becoming more appealing to youngsters.
Drugs have the potential to ruin a nation. When one is addicted to illicit drugs, one is in effect trapped in vice and personal deterioration.
From general observation, one’s health declines, first gradually and then at a rapid pace, and you become a big liability to society. Therefore, let’s not relent on our laurels. We call on authorities, parents and guardians to stand firm and amplify their vices against drug abuse in the country.
What is bad about drug abuse is that it is a great cause of mental disorder among youths and, therefore, it calls for serious action to address the menace.
Let’s not relent. Each one, teach one!